Batavia Bowl gets OK to be torn down

With regrets, the Batavia City Council Monday approved tearing down the Batavia Bowl building at 120-122 First St., in the city's historic district downtown.

Only one resident - Hannah Volk, the former city clerk - spoke about the proposal and the approval process. She also asked why a business was allowed to operate in the building for so long with all the code violations that have been found, and what is proposed in its place.

Alderman James Volk, Hannah Volk's husband, voted against the measure. But he did get the city council to require the building's likely new owner, real estate firm Batavia Enterprises, to save as much of the limestone and timber from the building as possible and to use those materials in new developments on the site or on the site of the former Shumway Foundry, just to the south.

Mayor Jeff Schielke noted that as a volunteer firefighter, he fought a fire in the building in 1973, when part of the building housed a bandage factory.

"There was significant water dumped on that building that day. I don't think that building ever truly did recapture itself," he said.

The building was constructed in the late 1800s, and housed a wagon factory, paper bag manufacturers and an auto body shop over the years. It housed a bowling alley since the early 1940s, but the alley closed earlier this year.

James Volk agreed the building was "in sad shape," but said it was not as bad as had been represented by the potential new owners and others, and that he thought the decision was rushed. Batavia Enterprises' officials have said the owner is firm about closing on a sale the first week of July.

Batavia building inspectors declared it uninhabitable in May, after the alley closed. Electricity, water and natural gas service have been shut off. There are broken windows, a leaky roof, debris piled up at the rear, rotting beams, sagging floors and a brick addition pulling away. Contractors' reports indicate it would cost $2.3 million to bring it up to code.